PEORIA -- Hindsight has allowed Tanner Vavra to see how far he's come on the baseball field, and how much his journey means to those following him off it.

The Cedar Rapids second baseman is blind in his right eye. Yet he is hitting .333 in the Midwest League, and has hits in nine of his 10 games in his first chance at full-season pro ball.

Just like uncle Tommy told him he could.

"Uncle Tommy is Tommy Lasorda," said Vavra, a standout player from Valparaiso drafted by the Twins in the 30th round last summer. "I've known him since I was born.

"My second game of the season was at Great Lakes, and he was there for it. That was pretty exciting. He told me 'See, you're the only one who decides if you can do it. You don't quit. God will tell you when it's time for that. No one else can.' "

The Chiefs beat Cedar Rapids for the second straight night Tuesday, cruising 4-1 before 736 at Dozer Park.

Peoria starter Nick Petree dominated, tossing six shutout innings with 8 strikeouts, while left fielder Kenny Peoples-Walls had two hits and two RBIs.

Vavra's father, Joe, is the third base coach for the Twins. He was a manager in the Dodgers system, at Yakima, when he decided to take his family fishing in Mount Ranier, Wash., during a day off.

It was Aug. 23, 1992. Tanner Vavra was 3.

He wandered away just as his father was in mid cast. The fishing hook snagged the toddler's right eye. His mother, Lesa, screamed. They rushed him to the hospital. Four surgeries later he had a special contact lens placed in his right eye.

"My first memory of the accident was waking up in the hospital, after surgery. I don't remember anything before that, and I'm thankful for it," Vavra said. "I have lots of friends and family around me who have supported me and never let me use it as an excuse."

He hurt the eye again when he was poked in it during a backyard football game at age 10. The special lens shattered, driving pieces into the eye. Doctors missed the critical part of the damage -- a detached retina -- for two months. Had they seen it in time, it could have been repaired.

"My sight could have been saved. So I'm very particular about my doctors, and what they tell me, and accepting it," said Vavra, who has 20/10 vision in his left eye. "I felt so angry for a long time. Kids at that age can be pretty unkind, and I heard it all.

"I was bitter for a long time, had a 'I'll show 'em attitude.' "

He stayed with the game, became a standout player at Menomonie (Wis.) High School, went on to play at Madison College, then won a scholarship to play at Valpo.

On Draft Day 2013, the rounds slipped by, 10 ... 20 ...

Eventually, the Twins took him in the 30th round. His father, Joe, called with the entire Twins coaching staff joining in for congrats. "(Twins manager) Ron Gardenhire said, 'Now your butt is mine,' " said Vavra, who signed for $1,000. "It was thrilling, but just like that it was time to get to work."

But it's believed no non-pitcher has ever reached the majors while blind in one eye.

"I can't remember what my sight was like with two eyes, this just seems normal to me," Vavra said. "I was a switch hitter growing up, until I was 12. But kids started throwing curves around that age, and I discovered that I couldn't see the spin on the ball when I batted left-handed. So I became a right-handed hitter.

"I hear now from kids from California to Virginia dealing with some physical situation of their own and want to talk to me about it. They are looking for a role model and trying to find inspiration.

"I've come to understand how important that is, what an opportunity it is for me. I hope I play 10 years in this game. But when I'm done playing, whenever that is, I can tell you this:

"It won't be because of my eye."

CHIEFS BRIEFS: Chiefs DH Jimmy Bosco extended his hit streak to 7 games. ... Cedar Rapids first baseman Chad Christensen had three of his team's six hits to extend his hit streak to 10 games. ... Chiefs starter Nick Petree has not allowed a run in 17 innings this season.

Dave Eminian can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Read his Cleve's World blog on pjstar.com and follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.

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